GET YOUR BODY MOVING: SHE MADE WALKING A SENSORY ADVENTURE
For almost 18 years, Denise Ramirez tried and failed to lose the 80 pounds that stuck around after her pregnancy. She tried exercise classes, but she couldn’t stick with the schedule.
“So one day, I put on my headset and went for a walk,” says Denise, 36, of Fresno, California. “And you know what? I absolutely loved it!”
But hers aren’t count-the-minutes-until-you’re-done walks where she paces along the same boring route day after day. She ventures into places where she has never been before—new streets, new neighborhoods, new parks. “Suddenly, I was seeing all of these things that I never knew existed,” she says.
For Denise, walking has become a sensory adventure. She’s thrilled by the feel of cool morning air, the smell of just-washed laundry hanging out to dry, the sound of lawns being mowed, the sight of frost on grass. “I look for something new every day and file it away in my brain,” she says.
She has even made up a game to play along her route. She imagines that she is blind but has been given the gift of sight for one day. So during her walk, she has to soak in everything that she can.
“Open your eyes and be aware,” says Denise, who walked off 60 pounds in less than a year. “There is so much out there to see. It’s very empowering.”
WINNING ACTION
Head off the beaten path. Denise has the right idea.
Walking can get boring if you cover the same route day after day. No matter where you live, you can find new places. For example, check out urban historic districts, botanical gardens, boardwalks, zoos, and college campuses. Maybe you can’t find a new route every day, but take the challenge to come up with 10 different ones. That way, you’ll cover the same territory only two or three times a month.
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